‘Make my wish come trueeee… all I want for Christmas is youuu!’ Scott was in good voice, matching Mariah Carey note for note as she boomed out from a brand new waterproof speaker. This Christmas present, given to him by Suzie just an hour earlier, had really taken his shower-performances to the next level. After one final rousing chorus, Scott stepped out the shower in a cloud of steam and high-spirits. In half an hour, his brother Graham was due to arrive, along with wife Jess, daughter Josie, and of course, Scott and Graham’s Parents. It was time for Christmas Dinner!

There would be 8 of them in total - quite a squeeze around the dinner table! Scott was relatively relaxed as he knew most of his work had been done, and Suzie was in charge of decorations. She truly excelled in this area; seating plans, folded napkins, the works. He let her get on with it, helping only with serving the spuds. Scott’s own spécialité - an enormous turkey, seasoned to perfection 12 hours earlier, had spent the morning slow-roasting in the oven and would be just about ready by the time their guests arrived. The house filled with the warmth from the kitchen, as interwoven scents of roasted veg and simmering gravy drifted from room to room. Outside, a very light covering of snow was starting to settle on the front lawn. Not exactly a white Christmas, but it certainly helped Scott get into the Christmas spirit.

Slipping on his reindeer jumper (no chance he was getting out of wearing it after the show made to Suzie the night before), Scott made his way downstairs to start putting out the food. There were quite literally bowls of Brussel sprouts, mountains of mash potato, and perhaps 3 pigs in blankets per-head. Unless their guests were starving, Scott, Suzie and Sam would all be eating leftovers until well after New Year’s.

Right on time, the front door swung open. Scott’s mum wasn’t frugal when it came to kisses — Sam, in particular, received well in excess of 20 from his grandmother. Graham was the last to step through the door, and he greeted Scott with a thumping hug. ‘Merry Christmas big brother!’ he boomed. You could quite clearly tell they were siblings; both over 6 foot (though Scott was an inch or so taller), with big ginger beards apiece. ‘Hope you took note of my hints this year eh.’ Scott’s looked back at his brother blankly. ‘You know, the facebook tags, the emails… I’ve been looking forward to this whisky subscription for months!’ Thankfully for Scott, Josie, eager to get to the present-opening time, was pulling at her father’s hand, and dragged him to the kitchen table before Scott was made any more uncomfortable. Scott followed nervously, dreading the moment his brother opened his present…

The family took their seats at the table and tucked into a marvellous Christmas feast. Scott’s turkey received applause from all corners - especially from Josie, who had three helpings. Sam beat Graham in a cracker pulling contest but graciously donated his winning keyring to Josie in exchange for an extra pig-in-blanket. The gravy boat had to be confiscated from Scott’s Mum and Dad, who both preferred their plates to be ‘swimming’ in gravy. The mountain of mash quickly became more of a hill, and the once-full serving plates began to look bare. Scott wondered if his leftover prediction might not come to fruition after all.

After dinner, the plates were cleared and everyone took turns handing out gifts. Sam and Josie had been desperate to get their presents, and no sooner had their presents been handed out did they run upstairs to play in Sam’s room. When the time came, Scott sheepishly handed Graham a small slither of brightly-coloured wrapping paper. ‘Err, thanks Scott’ Graham said, half laughing, but obviously concerned. Pulling apart the paper, his face dropped entirely. ’Socks eh… um thanks, Scott. I mean, with my err… hints, I thought I was getti-’ Keen to avoid any awkward confrontation at Christmas, Jess cut off her husband: ‘They’re lovely Graham, you needed new socks! I’m always finding his odd socks around the house!’

Scott knew Graham suspected something was awry. He had hinted to his brother that a whisky subscription was on its way to him. They’d discussed it several months earlier over a shared yearning for exciting new whisky. Scott had, of course, intended to give Graham his first subscription box on Christmas day, but having taken a peek at the box’s contents, decided to keep it for himself! Instead, he’d gotten Graham a nice pair of socks, which were now the source of much discontent…

The brothers exchanged several uncomfortable glances. Having spent their boyhood grappling and one-upping each other, Graham always knew when his brother was hiding something. Scott sat uncomfortably under his brother’s suspicions, desperately trying to avoid any sort of tell. ‘What about a Christmas dram ey Scott?’ Scott’s Dad interjected at the height of the tension. ‘ Right you are Dad, I’ll go get the glasses out’ said Scott, relishing a break in the awkwardness.

Scott kept the glass set in the living room, giving him a few moments away from Graham’s glare. He knew he’d have to move the whisky from the living-room mantlepiece; if Graham were to sneak into the living room he’d find it straight away. What could Scott do? In a moment of madness, he decided the more audacious his latest hiding place the better. Grabbing a roll of scotch tape, he reached up to the top of the Christmas and pulled off the star. Working from the tip of his toes, he taped the whisky bottle to the tree top, wrapping several times until the top branches took the weight of the bottle. Remarkably, the tree seemed more than capable of holding the bottle in place. Before his right mind could remind him this wasn’t the brightest of ideas, Scott heard Suzie calling him from the other room. ‘Coming!’ he shouted back.

Returning to the kitchen with glasses with both hands, Scott had forgotten to turn the living room light off, and he’d left both kitchen and living room doors ajar. From the kitchen table, Graham was able to peer through and spot the Christmas tree. Scott had been an awfully long time, Graham thought to himself. What had taken him so long? Was he hiding something in there? Graham was determined to investigate. Scott meanwhile, was busy searching the back of the cupboards for the supermarket whisky he intended on serving. Sensing an opportunity, Graham quietly snuck out the kitchen when Scott’s back was turned.

Like his brother, Graham was a big man, and it’s rather hard for someone 6 foot tall to sneak anywhere. Scott spotted his sibling’s movements in the corner of his eye and suspected he was up to something. Instinctively, he turned to follow Graham out of the room, shutting the kitchen door behind him. Graham, moving into the living room. had set his sights on the tree. Before Scott could stop him, Graham reached up towards to the unusual tree-topper…

It’s fair to say the city of Edinburgh is a great place to try whisky. As well as some being in close proximity to some fantastic lowland distilleries, the capital serves as a gateway to the rest of Scotland, and you’ll find a huge selection of whiskies from world-renowned names and lesser-known producers in Edinburgh’s high-end bars and hidden haunts.

With single malts and Scottish specialities on almost every street corner, we can be a little introverted when it comes to whisk(e)y here in Edinburgh. As some of the world’s finest drams are right on our doorstep, we are sometimes culpable of turning a blind eye to what's going on in other whiskey-producing regions around the globe. Across the Atlantic, there’s been nothing short of a revolution in whiskey-making. New distilleries are being established almost daily, bringing innovative new techniques and unique flavour profiles to the industry. These distillers have caught the imagination of a new generation of whiskey drinkers in the states.

As avid followers of the American Whiskey industry, we wanted to showcase some of the best whiskey currently being produced stateside here in Scotland. That’s why we’re teaming up for an exclusive Secret Whisky Tasting event with Raasay Distillery on Thursday 6th December. We’ll be bringing 4 amazing American whiskeys from some of our favourite distillers to Edinburgh’s West End. We hope it will be a unique opportunity to learn more about American whiskey and the exciting developments taking place across the pond.

Craft Whisky Club’s own Nicholas Holyroyd and the fantastic Raasay Distillery team will be on hand to guide attendees through the tasting notes and production process behind 4 fantastic whiskeys. We start with a visit to Kentucky's oldest distillery - Heaven Hills, with Evan Williams single barrel bourbon, before moving onto Old Scout - a unique blended whiskey from Appalachian Distiller Smooth Ambler. Next, we’ll head to mountains of Montana to sample Rough Stock’s Pure Malt Whiskey, before finishing with the superb Ragtime Rye from New York Distilling Company. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase any of the whiskeys they’ve enjoyed from the evening with 10% off all 70cl bottles.

Above all, the event promises to be a great deal of fun for all and a unique opportunity to develop your interest in different styles of whiskey. We hope you can make it! Click here to get your tickets now!

Twas the night before Christmas, but no time for sleep! Not for Scott at least. For the past few hours, he’d been hard at work doing as much prep as possible for Christmas lunch. The key to Christmas is confidence - confidence and making sure the hard bits are taken care of before everyone arrives and all the madness sets in. With this in mind, he’d set about chopping carrots, peeling potatoes and pre-wrapping pigs in little bacon blankets. In the oven, the last batch of Christmas cookies were turning out nicely. Only half had made it from dough to finished product - a travesty Scott blamed entirely on Nigella’s recipe and not his own gluttony. None the less, everything was coming together. The big man from Balerno was in good spirits, singing along to ‘Last Christmas’ and enjoying a cheeky wee mulled wine as he went.

As Scott set about seasoning his centrepiece - an enormous organic Galloway turkey, Suzie swung her head around the door. “That’s me off the phone with mum, they’ve got everyone up there with them now. It took Bill and his family 3 hours to get from Aberdeen to Inverness with the Snow! Auntie Mary’s only just arrived, they weren't sure if she was going to be able to get there!”

“Eh, Auntie Mary,” Scott sighed to himself. He had done a wee dance of joy when he found out Suzie’s family would be off up to her parents for Christmas. Last year he’d spent the entire afternoon passionately defending his Brussel sprouts from Auntie Mary. She was adamant that the turkey was undercooked - despite the fact, as Scott had reminded her several times, it was lamb. Whilst she was elsewhere this year, Suzie would still insist he wore the horrible reindeer jumper she’d brought him last year. Itchy, too small, bright red - Scott regarded the jumper with particular contempt. But his wife would no doubt have her way.

This year’s guests were far lower maintenance. Scott only had to look after his own parents, Suzie and Sam, and his brother Graham’s family. He knew there would be no complaints about the cooking; after all, his parents taught him everything he knew! He’d done the veg just the way Mum liked it, and Dad would cry tears of joy when he set eyes on the immaculate turkey tomorrow afternoon.

There was one thing on Scott’s mind, however. He knew how they all enjoyed a Christmas dram at the end of dinner. He’d hoped they might all share a wee nip of Graham’s first whisky from Craft Whisky Club, but after his antics earlier in the week, that was out of the question. That bottle was now tucked away in Scott’s underpants and no one was getting their hands on it. He had a whisky from the supermarket in the back of the cupboard somewhere but hadn’t quite been able to dig it out just yet. Though Scott felt no regrets about taking the whisky for himself, he did feel the occasional pinch of guilt.

Having done as much as he could in advance, Scott had started cleaning the kitchen. Suzie came through again from the other room, smiling as she surveyed all of Scott’s hard work. ‘Someone’s been busy!’ She remarked, whilst trying and failing to pinch a biscuit from the cooling rack. ‘Since you’ve done all of this, I’ve done all your ironing for tomorrow. Even your underpants! I’m just away upstairs to put them in your drawers’. At that, Scott stopped scrubbing the pan he’d been holding, frozen with worry. Beside the bed, tucked beneath tartan boxer shorts lay Scott’s brother’s stolen whisky. Suzie would spot it as soon as she opened the drawer. He had to act quickly if he was to keep his secret safe.

Without even drying his hands, Scott chased after Suzie. He passed her on the stairs, knocking the washing basket onto the steps as he raced upwards for the second time in a week. Suzie shouted after him, but there was no time to apologise. He ran to his drawers, digging deep before his hand felt the curved glass of the bottle. Pulling out the whisky, he pivoted to the wardrobe, pulling out the wretched reindeer jumper auntie from Auntie Mary. Slipping the bottle inside the sleeve, he took a brief second to compose himself, before heading out the room. He was greeted by a fuming Suzie, who ’d just finished collecting the various socks and shirts from all over the stairs. "I’m so sorry Suzie Scott pleaded. "I just realised I’d forgotten to wash my lovely Christmas jumpe...can you imagine if I hadn't been able to wear this tomorrow!". After his bungled apology, Scott offered a cup of tea and a freshly-baled Christmas cookie, whose anger all but abated after the promise of the latter.

Before returning to the kitchen, Scott slipped into the living room. The room was dark, save for a set of candles illuminating the mantlepiece. This room would off limits tomorrow; whenever Scott and Suzie hosted their relatives, they tried to keep them in the kitchen and dining areas. It was simply easier that way, Giving the likes of Auntie Mary free range on the house always threw up all sorts of unnecessary hassle.

With this in mind, Scott had an idea. He took the whisky from the awful jumper and placed the whisky in line with the candles. In the darkness, you could barely tell the difference. ‘Hiding in plain sight’ Scott chuckled to himself. He left the living room feeling smug, heading to the kitchen to fetch Suzie a brew and a warm biscuit.

Even if he had to wear that dreadful knit all day, it was a small price to pay to keep his whisky secret. For the family’s traditional Christmas dram, Scott pulled out a dusty bottle of supermarket ‘scotch’ from the back of the cupboard. ‘Ach, this’ll do’ he reassured himself. It would have to - the good stuff from Craft Whisky Club was for him and him only. He smiled at the thought of tomorrow evening. Once everyone had left, Suzie and Sam would no doubt fall asleep in front of the table, giving him the perfect chance to finally quietly slip away sample a dram. He knew it would be well worth waiting for.

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Scott sank into his favourite chair, relishing the warmth from the wood fire roaring beside his feet. After a few minutes, he had warmed up enough to remove his woolly slippers and wiggle his toes by the fireside. Outside, the winter wind was wrapping at the windows, but this was of no concern to Scott. Indeed, he took a certain pleasure from being all warm and cosy whilst it was so dreadful outside. He’d heard on the radio that it might even snow that evening. "Christmas is coming!" He chuckled to himself as he reclined a little further.

Scott thought of his poor wife Suzie, rushing about in the cold, in a last-minute spate of Christmas shopping. She’d taken their son Sam with her, and Sam would no doubt be dragging his heels and sighing loudly with each shop they visited. Poor Suzie indeed! Although, had she been savvy, like him, she wouldn’t have left it so late. Scott, keen to take the stress away from Christmas, had sorted all his shopping long before the big day. In fact, to avoid the mistakes of last year,( it had been difficult to forget 6 gruelling hours racing around Princes Street on Christmas Eve) Scott had pretty much everything sorted by early November. Everything had been pristinely wrapped and placed safely under the Christmas tree for weeks now.

Such preparation certainly warranted some form of reward, and with everyone out of the house, Scott had taken it upon himself to indulge in a bit of R&R - a warm fire, feet up and a good book to boot. He was perfectly content in the knowledge there was nothing left to fret over. Come the 25th, Sam would wake to find Scotland’s brand new away shirt and a pair of football boots, whilst Suzie would be surprised with a set of tickets to see Ed Sheeran in the summer - not Scott’s cup of tea by any means, but he would happily tag along whilst she sang along to ‘Castle in the Sand’ or whatever it was that was always on in the car. It had all been so smooth, so simple. Even the thought of the extended family coming over for Christmas Dinner could not take the shine off Scott’s achievements. He had been a man with a plan, and now he was a man in with his feet up and precious little to worry about.

There was, however, one final gift which Scott had yet to cover in glitter paper. In fact, he’d hidden this particular present underneath the bed as soon as it had arrived. This gift was intended for Scott’s brother Graham. Graham had hinted to Scott that he wanted a bottle of good whisky for Christmas - but Scott had gone beyond that. He had signed Graham up to a subscription with Craft Whisky Club. The first box had been delivered to Scott's own house so he could present the gift to Graham on Christmas day.

That had been the plan, at least. The sleek black box, tucked away under the bed for so long, now sat in Scott’s lap. He’d been pondering a quick peek for weeks, and now with peace and quiet at last, he finally had his chance. Scott’s eyes lit up as he opened the box to reveal a beautifully designed bottle of whisky, a selection of treats, and an intriguing rocking whisky glass. He studied the label contents closely, imagining the toasted oak and chocolate notes as if he could already taste them on his tongue.

How could he bring himself to give this away? Graham would never know if he kept it for himself. He could always pick up something else before Christmas day came around, a nice photo frame or ‘worlds best brother’ mug maybe. There was no need to part ways with this gift. He pulled out the whisky bottle and held it in his hand, the amber liquid catching the light of the fire at the corner of the bottle. "Ach, one wee dram couldn’t hurt!"

As he began twisting the bottle head, Scott was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up outside. Suzie was home! He lept to his feet, surveying the evidence of his Christmas crimes. Suzie couldn’t find out he’d opened his brother’s gift, she’d boot him ‘oot the hoose! He quickly gathered the contents together and made a dash for the stairs, hearing the key turn in the door as he raced past. Back went the box under the bed with the treats and glass tucked away inside, but he did not have time to put the whisky bottle back. Thinking quickly, he opted for somewhere no one would go in a hurry - his underpants drawer. Burying the bottle under his tartan boxers, Scott spun around to find Suzie in the doorway, bags of Christmas shopping under each arm. Keen to avoid suspicion, he kindly offered her a hand wrapping these new presents.Smiling nervously, Scott took two of the bags from his wife and briskly escorted her downstairs and away from the scene of the crime.

It had been a narrow escape, but no one was any-the-wiser about Scott’s exploits. Graham would need a new gift - some socks perhaps, or a nice hat and scarf set - but the Craft Whisky Club subscription box, that would stay with Scott. He’d have to wait for his first dram, but that didn’t matter too much. When the time came he knew it would be well worth it. This gift was just too good to share…

With Christmas just around the corner, now is the perfect time to Discover A New World of Whisky. Explore our range of exclusive whisky subscriptions and gift boxes here.

For much of the 20th century, the predominant trend in Scotland was for whisky distilleries to be shutting their doors. Thankfully, that decline is now in reverse: at the end of 2017 there were 126 Scottish Distilleries, with plenty more opening in 2018. Though we are all immensely excited about this new whisky boom, and eager to try new spirits from the likes of Raasay Distillery it’s sad that so many legendary distilleries were lost before the world rediscovered its love for the water of life.

For their latest release, A Silent Character, Tweeddale have turned to one of the now silent giants of grain whisky - Cambus. Once described as "the jewel in DCL’s grain distillery crown", the Cambus distillery closed its doors in 1993. With it’s demise, another chapter of Scotland’s grain whisky heritage was consigned to history.

A limited stock of Cambus grain whisky - by this point very well aged and extremely rare - has survived to this day. A Silent Character is an exclusive bottling of 27 year old single grain whisky from Cambus stocks, blended together from 2 ex-bourbon casks.

So, why did Tweeddale choose Cambus for A Silent Character? Aside from being an exceptional whisky, Cambus single grain was used consistently by Richard Day, master blender and Great Grand Father of Tweeddale Co-founder Alasdair Day. Cambus appears as a component of the Tweeddale on several occasions, suggesting this whisky was a favourite of Richard’s. Cambus is also the first and only named whisky from the famous cellar book - the rest are kept a close family secret!

A Silent Character oozes the luxurious maturity you might expect from whisky that has aged for 27 years. Expect rich, sweet flavours on the nose; plenty of toffee and honey, with subtle hints of oak and citrus fruit. There’s pear and light cognac spice on the palate, complimented by gloriously smooth mouthfeel. A slightly grassy finish gives way to gentle mineral structures. Single grain whiskies of this age and quality are few and far between these days, and A Silent Character will have you savouring every drop.

Craft Whisky Club are able to offer A Silent Character at an exclusive, members-only price of £150. With numbers of this bottling extremely limited, this is an excellent time to secure a piece of Scotland’s grain whisky heritage. You can also check out the rest of our amazing Secret Still range here.

It does not happen very often, but this year, the Scottish summer has delivered. It’s hard to remember a year when the weather has been as good as it has recently. There’s barbeques everywhere, paddling pool sales are through the roof, and there has not been a cloud over Edinburgh since May. Ahem... that last one might have been an exaggeration, but still, it’s been nice to be able to wear shorts and sunglasses for once.

The lovely weather has also been a great excuse to get out of the cities and head down to the beautiful Scottish borders for a day or two. 100 years ago, the region was full of licensed grocers like that of Richard Day, who would blend together various malts and grain whiskies to meet their customers tastes and preferences. Nowadays, there’s very little evidence left of this once great whisky tradition. Tweeddale Whisky is hoping to rekindle some of this heritage with their latest blend - The Evolution.

When Alasdair Day set about recreating his Great Grandfather’s whisky recipes, his ambition was to reignite the art of expert whisky making in the borders. The Evolution - the oldest expression of The Tweeddale Blend to date - captures the essence of Richard Day’s approach to whisky blending, bringing together some of the finest malt and grain whisky to create a spirit with exceptional character.

The Evolution marries Highland grain whisky with some of the finest Speyside malts available. The grain whisky provides the perfect canvas for the flavours of the aged malts to develop, giving the whisky superb mouthfeel and exquisite depth. The blend’s high quality has not gone unnoticed; The Evolution picked up the prestigious Silver Outstanding award at this year’s International Wine and Spirits competition.

A delightful golden-amber in colour, The Evolution is rich on the nose, evoking juicy blackcurrants, cherries and plums. This initial fruitiness gives way to rich buttery pastries and perhaps a hint of honey. Moving on to the palate, expect full flavour, more blackcurrants and pear. The Evolution remains plenty sweet, with a rich warm feel in the mouth. The finish gives rise to notes of American oak and chocolatey touches, showcasing the quality of the aged Speyside malts.

The city of Edinburgh is surprisingly easy to get around on foot. You can quite easily walk from one side of the city to the other...providing the weather allows it. On a clear day, If you take a wander down to the shore (perhaps an hours walk from CWC HQ), it’s possible to see across the Firth of Forth to the ancient kingdom of Fife. Between the rolling hillsides and ancient fields, Wemyss Castle has stood for centuries, looking back across the water towards the Scottish capital. After a trip across the bridge, we’ve been lucky enough to secure a couple of exclusive malt whiskies from Wemyss.

The Wemyss family has a longstanding passion for malt whisky. John Haig first built a distillery on Wemyss land in the 19th century, and barley grown on the land surrounding the castle has been prized by renowned distillers for years. In recent years the Wemyss name has become synonymous with elegant wine blending - the nuance of which, Wemyss is now bringing to malt whiskies of it’s own.

The Secret Still is now host to four of Wemyss range - Spice King, Nectar Grove, Peat Chimney and The Hive. Each unique whisky has been blended from the finest expressions of malt whisky carefully selected by Wemyss’ master blenders.

Nectar Grove is Wemyss’ first foray into finishing. A Highland blended malt, Nectar Grove has been imbued with the fruity and complex sweet flavours of Madeira wine and somewhat reminiscent of a ripe fruit grove of peaches, nectarines and citrus.

Peat Chimney is a signature Islay expression - expect full flavour pete, smoke and rugged island salt flavours. Spice King blends the finest in highland and island malts, which combine to offer delicate spice and rich, full flavours. The Hive takes the best of Speyside, with plenty of honey notes and good deal of citrus.

The Wemyss range is now available in our Secret Still. We're really excited to be able to bring you this range.If you would like some more information on our adventurous whisky range, check out our Craft Whisky Subscriptions.

When you think of great whisky, your mind likely wanders up to the Highlands of Scotland, the bourbon counties of Kentucky, or (if you're an on-trend whisky fan) to the mountains of Japan. However, high up on the beautiful island of Fjäderholmarna, Mackmyra is working hard to make Swedish whisky a household name in whisky production.

As you might have guessed, we’re big fans of Mackmyra and their work. Svensk Ek features in our UK subscription boxes, and we have also offered a limited amount of their special Blomstertid edition in the our UK Secret Still bottle shop. Now, we’re thrilled to be opening a space specfically for Mackmyra’s innovative whiskies, where an ever-growing fanbase can find the latest and most adventurous of Mackmyra’s malts.

To get things started, we've secured three brand new whiskies from the bodas mine warehouse.

Skördetid, is a collaboration with Veneto winemaker Masi, and is finished in casks seasoned with their Costasera Amarone. This autumnal whisky comes from Mackmyra's Seasonal range, and celebrates the onset of longer nights and chillier days. As the whisky is finished in Italian Amarone casks, expect notes of rich vinous fruits. The complex and unique flavours of the wine casks give this whisky a soft and spicy character.

We have also secured two limited bottlings from Mackmyras ‘Moments’ Collection. Körsbär is an elegant whisky with a delicately smooth texture and subtle herbal spiciness. Finished in ex-olorosso and bourbon casks - which have been previously been used to store sweet cherry wine - the whisky emanates a beautifully warm red glow. This is a delicious multilayered whisky, with notes of vanilla, spicy oak, sweet cherry and red berries.

We think it's good to think of the Körsbär as a refined elder sibling to the Blomstertid seasonal edition. These individually numbered bottles are very limited, with only 75 allocated to the UK.

Next up is the mighty Ledin. For this whisky, Mackmyra have paired up with renowned Swedish performer Thomas Ledin. Whilst Master Blender Angela D'Orazio toured the Bodås mine with Thomas, they came across two casks previously used to store Sauterne wine. Using these casks has resulted in a whisky with notes of vanilla, soft pear and toasted oak. Ledin is a rich whisky with oily fruits, and the clear Sauternes influence gives exceptional poise, elegance and depth.

All of these whiskies are of course non-chill filtered and are presented at 47% or 48% ABV.

Also available alongside these new releases, are a selection of previous Mackmyra's Moments and Seasons special editions. Included is one of our all time favourites Blomstertid.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on what’s going on at the Gravity Distillery and will be sure to bring you the best and brightest of Mackmyra’s range. Whether your a longtime Mackmyra-admirer, or you’re just keen to try a single malt from outside Scotland, you can’t go wrong with something from this exceptional collection of whiskies.

"The Inner Sound", the stretch of water that separates Raasay from the Scottish mainland is, at 324 metres, the deepest section of the UK's territorial waters.

Raasay can now add to it's list of achievements that of hosting Scotland's newest whisky distillery.

The first (legal) whisky distillation on the isle of Raasay began last week with the opening of R&B Distillers' Isle of Raasay Distillery. Having spent a great deal of time and effort fine-tuning the distillery's every detail (and creating the much loved While We Wait single malt in anticipation), it's a real landmark for R&B and a cause for celebration amongst craft whisky lovers.

Since members of Craft Whisky Club often leave us rave reviews on R&B’s Borders and While We Wait whiskies, we can't wait to see what they do up at the Raasay Distillery. But as any whisky buff will tell you, we’ve got at least another 3 years before the first Scotch whisky gets on the ferry back to the mainland.

To celebrate the opening of the Distillery, R&B invited a handful of esteemed guests, whisky experts, friends and family to the Isle of Raasay, in order to properly commemorate the Distillery opening its doors.

I was lucky enough to represent Craft Whisky Club at the opening event. After a ferry ride over to Raasay, my day began with a first look at the new facilities. The tour was given by Isle of Raasay Master Distiller, Iain Robertson, who will come to know the stills better than anyone.

Iain presumably raising the whisky spirits!

In the afternoon, all guests congregated on the pier to welcome the Isle of Skye pipe band off the ferry, who then led the way back to the distillery for the cutting of the cord ceremony.

After a welcome from R&B co-founder Alisdair Day, the ribbon to officially open Raasay Distillery was cut by renowned whisky expert Dave Broom.

Friendship and good fortune were marked with the Passing of the Quaich, a quaich filled with the contents of a bottle of While We Wait shared by all.

Later on that evening, after a couple of expertly prepared whisky cocktails, guests were piped into dinner before being treated to a sumptuous three course meal in the west wing of Raasay House. After a couple of speeches and some well-deserved toasts to the tireless R&B staff who made this event possible, attendees and islanders were able to wind down with an after dinner cocktail and some superb live music from the Trosg, followed by a traditional Scottish Ceilidh in the West Wing of Raasay House.

On the Sunday the guests enjoyed a breakfast before checking out and taking the ferry back to the mainland.

With the festivities over, the real work begins on Raasay to get the first batch of whisky distilled and ready to mature. R&B are not wasting any time though – the first rounds of distillation have already taken place! You’ll probably see the first whisky from the Isle of Raasay in a 3-5 years time, but if you cant wait that long, check out some of the great whiskies from R&B that are available through our Secret Still and our Craft Whisky Subscriptions.

As I’m sure you know by now, one thing we love at Craft Whisky Club is a whiskey with a real story. The level of pride and passion that goes into creating a bottle of whisky almost demands that humble drinkers like you and me take a little time to appreciate their individual stories. We try to do this with some of our blog posts - a couple of weeks ago, we looked at the story of the The Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 23 – A Bourbon that doubled as an insight into the history of American Whiskey Production.

The story of Westland's Garryana is one of great pioneering spirit. To create the Garryana, Westland has sought to challenge existing about how American Whiskey should be matured. The Garryana gains its name from the oak in which it matured - Quercus Garryana. Garry Oak for short, this species of oak tree is found exclusively in the Pacific Northwest United States. Garry Oak, once abundant in the region, is now a hard to come by, with much of the original native forests cut down to make way for more common and widely used species of tree.

In pursuit of an inherently Northwestern Whiskey, Westland has gone in search of some the last remaining Gary Oak reserves. The journey has seen them scour across the much of the Pacific Northwest – from just outside Portland, to rural towns like Halsy, deep in the heart of Oregon State. It has never been a particularly easy journey, with stock of Garry Oak in short supply and often scattered across the North Western region. But ultimately, this is what makes the Garryana a truly unique whiskey. The drive and determination of Westland to source Garry Oak is fundamental to the whiskies unique character.

“Because this oak is so rare and so difficult to find, no system has been built for it. With our plans expanding to 500 casks over the next five years, we now need a minimum of 50,000 board feet of Garry Oak. So, we must architect the system and create the economy”

If you want to read more about Westland’s pursuit of Garry Oak, you can do so here. Westland gives an excellent account of the ups and downs of their adventures, so I highly recommend giving their page a read.

In the meantime, we will explore how the use of Garry Oak influences the whiskies character. On the nose, The Garryana offers notes of cloves, nutmeg and honeycomb, followed by darker flavors of mocha and wood smoke. The palate is where the Garry Oaks signature flavors shine through, with notes of molasses, BBQ smoke and espresso prominent. Later, these flavors give way to more subtle hints of blueberry ice cream and citrus fruits.

You can secure your bottle of Westland Garryana through our Secret Still – a collection of rare and exclusive whiskies, which we source, and reserve for member of Craft Whisky Club. Westland’s Garryana is a whiskey with a unique story and a complex character to match. We’re sure this bottle will transport you to the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest US.

It’s no secret that R&B Distillers make some of the best-loved whisky that we offer at Craft Whisky Club. For UK Subscribers, the first release of Borders is the one that gets everything going - the whisky that kick-starts your subscription and begins your journey into the world of innovative and unusual whiskies.

That’s why we’re so excited about the second edition of Borders. Everyone here at Craft Whisky Club (and I’m sure many of you too!) is keen to see what the master distillers at R&B have done differently this time round. The first edition of Borders was itself a whisky of unusual composition: 50% wheat and 50% malted barley, coffey (column) distilled in a single distillery.Yet despite its uncommon provenance, the Borders First Edition became a firm favourite with both novices and whisky experts alike (check out a glowing review from The Whisky Lady here).

On the nose, The Borders 2nd Release offers notes of apple and mushy pears, tangerine, peach and strawberry. The palate is reminicsent of the first release - there’s a big big burst of the Oloroso Sherry, but also more prominent hints of citrus fruit and apple. Those of you who fell in love with the warm and spicy finish of the first release will find yourselves a familiar friend in this whisky.

The Borders Second Release is available as an exclusive pre-release to members of Craft Whisky Club, as part of our Secret Still. If you’ve loved your bottle of Borders First Release, the second edition should certainly top your whisky wishlist.

One of the things I like to think about when I pour a measure of whiskey, is the story that ’s gone into making my drink. Whiskey tends to be different from other spirits, in that there’s often an intriguing tale or illustrious history behind the bottle, the brand or both.

The Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 23 is a narration of the American Whiskey Journey. It tells a story of an industry which boomed in the 19th century, endured 13 years of prohibition, and is now enjoying a second golden age. It is the product of dark quiet corners in old rickhouses, distilleries changing hands, and a firm desire to unearth some really special whiskey.

Over time whiskey companies come and go, distilleries are bought and sold, and some barrels h slip through the production net - in a sense, they become 'orphan' barrels. Set up in 2011, the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company began as an endeavor ,to rescue these nearly forgotten barrels of whiskey and share them with a discerning audience.

The Rhetoric 23 is the fourth expression of the same whisky. Each year since 2013, Orphan barrel release an extremely limited bottling of Rhetoric, the aim being to see how each incremental year changes the character of the whiskey. The originals barrels were produced at the Bernheim Distillery 1994 (for those interested, thats as old as than me!), and have since spent their days maturing in the old Stitzel-Weller Warehouses in Louisville, Kentucky. The Rhetoric series is particularly old for a bourbon, which unlike Scottish whisky, actually increases in alcoholic volume with age.

The Rhetoric 23 begins with juicy dried fruit and just a hint of leather. On the palate, this 23-Year-Old whiskey tastes of rich, smooth coffee, dark chocolate, anise and cracked nuts. The finish is long with oak and a touch of smoke. When compared to its younger sibling, the Rhetoric 22, the 23 has been described as ‘slightly more together and less sharply woody.’

We're proud to be launching the US-edition of our Secret Still - a collection of rare, small batch and unusual whisky available exclusively to members of Craft Whisky Club. To mark the launch of Secret Still in the US, we will be offering an extremely limited number of Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 23. There are only a few of these around, so be sure to get yours now and secure a piece of American whiskey history!

For our full selection of exclusive and rare whiskies, check out our Secret Still here

So begins the famous Scots poem "To a mouse" - Rabbie Burns’ tail (pun intended) of the plight and plans of a poor field mouse, whose nest is destroyed with the single swoop of a plough. Legend has it that Scotland’s beloved Bard drew inspiration from experience, having accidentally destroyed a mouse’s nest when working the field. His poem is now enjoyed (or laboured over, depending on your familiarity with Scots dialect) in Scotland and indeed all across the world.

The timid little field mouse immortalised by Burns now shares its name with something not-so-timid at all: Douglas Laing's Timorous Beastie 18 Years Old. As a premium blended malt whisky, drawn from the finest distilleries in the highlands and aged for 18 years, this dram is certainly no shrinking violet.

As part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range, Timorous Beastie 18 Years Old represents Douglas Laing’s unique take on the Highlands. Encompassing much of the mainland from just north of Glasgow, to the most northernly distillery on Orkney, the Highlands represent the largest traditional Scottish whisky region by some distance. As a result, Highland whisky is diverse, with an array of malts coming from some very distinguished distillers.

Due to the size of the region and the scattered nature of its distilleries, capturing the true essence of the highlands in a single dram is no mean feat. The expert blenders at Douglas Laing & Co do a fine job of bringing together the finest malts for Timorous Beastie 18 Years Old. On the nose, ‘the beastie’ is fragrant and fruity, with undercurrents of vanilla and typical highland honey. Much of this sweetness is retained on the palate, adding a hint of black pepper and notes of sharp oak and spice. A medium finish shows cough drop spices amongst the flavours from the palate, which culminate in a bone-dry finale.

Timorous Beastie joins Rock Oyster 18 Years Old in the Secret Still - Our collection of rare and limited edition available exclusively to members of Craft Whisky Club. They say that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and since this is an extremely limited release, we’d suggest getting yours quickly. And if that not-so-subtle literary reference wasn’t enough to get your attention, each bottle of Timorous Beastie 18 Years Old comes with with it’s own uniquely branded nosing glass.

When asked about the Scottish islands, most people’s first thought would be to imagine some seriously dramatic scenery. Thick mist, salty air and foaming white wash on the shoreline. Powerful waves biting the beach, ebbing away at great masses of jagged rock. The landscape is largely unforgiving, often breathtaking, and unlike anywhere else.

The other thing that the Scottish islands immediately bring to mind is of course - great whisky. Jura, Arran, Islay and Orkney are all home to world renowned distilleries which for years have sent casks from their shores across the stormy seas. Indeed in some areas, copper stills are as much part of the island as the rocks on which they are built.

The Scotch-savvy amongst you will know the islands do not form their own traditional Scottish Whisky region. But what if you a crave a dram which perfectly that captures the rugged coastal character of these uncompromising outposts? Something that will transport you to those stony shores, sheer cliff-tops and swooping hills?

Enter Douglas Laing and their remarkable Rock Oyster 18 Years Old. The company firmly believes that island whisky is unique in its own right - and with a dram this good, there won't be many who will argue with them. Rock Oyster is a premium blended malt whisky - taken from the finest single malts from the Scottish Isl. This collection of island whisky is aged for a minimum of 18 years, and then carefully curated by Douglas Laing's master blenders. The result is a masterful marriage of maritime malts.

In terms of tasting notes, expect a blast of salty sea air and wave-soaked rocks on the nose. Notes of sweat peat and tobacco start to develop on the palate, turning later licorice and hints of cracked pepper. A long, moreish finish is almost refreshing in nature, a nod to the whisky’s oceanic influences.

Rock Oyster joins Douglas Laing's Timorous Beastie 18 year old in the Secret Still - our collection of rare and limited edition available exclusively to members of Craft Whisky Club. Each bottle of Douglas Laing’s Rock Oyster 18 Years Old comes with a uniquely branded nosing glass, which illustrates the plight of a sailing boat battling the elements on the West Coast of Scotland. It's these little extra details from Douglas Laing which help to make Rock Oyster 18 Years Old a treasure to enjoy. Become a member now and grab yourself a real pearl!

Not got your sea legs? If you think you'd be more at home in the Highlands, check out our closer look at Douglas Laing's Timorous Beastie 18 Years Old

Mackmyra are challenging everything you know about whisky. Since 1998, the company has been intent on putting Sweden on the world whisky map, taking Scottish whisky tradition and adding an invariably Scandinavian twist. Craft Whisky Club subscribers will know Mackmyra through the superb Svensk Ek, a single malt matured using Swedish oak casks.

With the Blomstertid, Mackmyra continue to demonstrate their passion for innovation and the unusual. Roughly a third of the casks used for maturation have previously aged cherry wine (yes really, cherry!). The result is a beautifully red-brown single malt, cherry in colour as well character. Master Distiller Angela D’Orazio describes the Blomstertid as "intended to be a Swedish whisky flower, with the unusual character coming from the finish on the cherry wine barrels.”

Mackmyra's aptly named Gravity distillery. Seriously impressive and well worth a visit to Sweden!

On the nose, the Blomstertid is all cherry blossom and berry fruit, with hints of toasted oak and gentle spice. The taste is carefully balanced, with the sweetness of the cherry wine cask kept in check by the gentle woody notes. A short finish, fruity but not overbearing, makes the Blomstertid perfect for a sipping on a warm summer evening.

Like much of Mackmyra’s work, the Blomstertid has won numerous awards, including the prestigious gold medal in the Wizards of Whisky awards. Barry Bradford of Whiskyphiles has described the Blomstertid as “a great example of Mackmyra's innovations taking their Swedish single malt to flavour locations Scotch malt whisky can only dream about.”

Peeking inside The Bodås Warehouse. This repurposed mine is the perfect place to keep whisky safe from the Swedish summer sun.

There's no doubting Mackmyra's approach to whisky is bold -they're certainly not afraid to experiment with new processes and flavours. But what really makes them great is that this imagination is resulting in some great tasting whiskies. If you’re looking for a single malt that packs with a unique twist - the Blomstertid will not disappoint.

Craft Whisky Club will be offering a small number of Mackmyra Blomstertid through our Secret Still. We’re constantly on the look-out for special edition and limited release whiskies like the Blomstertid from Mackmyra and The Tweeddale Last Centennial from R&B Distillers. Keep an eye out in the coming months for more unique and unusual whiskies!